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Feeling “at home”

I recently returned from my first ever visit to the Middle East. For the past five years my family and I have been a part of the Guild Training Network and have immersed ourselves in an Arab Muslim ethnic community in the greater Los Angeles area. As we have been seeking to incarnate the Good News and catalyze a Jesus movement from within the community, we have eagerly sought to learn from and understand the worldview of our neighbors. We have enjoyed hundreds of traditional Arab meals, celebrated dozens of significant cultural and religious events, and spent hours in meaningful (and often seemingly meaningless) conversations. We’ve learned a lot along the way…and have been changed for the better.

 

As I was recently in Jordan on my first trip to the region, I was struck by how natural and normal the environment felt. I almost felt at home. I did not feel the the typical initial “culture shock” that I have felt before traveling to other countries like Brazil, Peru and Mexico. I was not weirded out by men greeting each other with extended kisses on the cheeks, and it felt normal to see the majority of women covered with hijabs and avoiding the glances of men as I walked the streets.

 

I truly believe these past five years of living among and engaging the Arab Muslim community where we live is one of the biggest reasons for my feeling “at home” among a very foreign and drastically different culture than my own. The training and mentoring we’ve received as part of the Guild Training Network has definitely impacted the way we see the world and the way we are able to adjust to new cultures and places. And for this I am very grateful!

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Church Planting: a journey to get to know the Father

I had a dream after visiting St. Francis’ tomb in Assisi in October 2005. In my dream a young church planter (apostle) approached me and asked me to train him. For some reason I knew that this was the second time that the young apostle had approached me (I did not recognize him–so I took it as a general application after I woke up.). He pressed me to coach him about how to plant churches. It occurred to me that he was only interested in the outcome of the training itself–planting churches.

I said to him: “I don’t think you understand the nature of church planting. You are looking at church planting as a task to do. Your heavenly Father is looking at it as a journey of getting to know Him. God really does not need us as much as we think He does. But he gives us tasks to do that are the avenues and vehicles for getting to know Him. For those of us who are church planters, the avenue to getting to know Him is planting churches. So we should view our task as the path to getting to know Him.

“Now here is the key–we never get to know Him through success. We get to know Him through humility–not success. I have had a lot of success in church planting, but no success has led to me getting to know Him better. The way to know God is through failure. I have rejoiced in my successes, but I have not been led to a deeper walk with Him or greater reliance on Him through success. But in failure I have agonized over my own contribution to the failure and been led to deeper repentance and faith. I have been led deeper into dependence in relationship with Him whereby I grasp new aspects to His glory as I have been driven to His throne through failure. It is in failure that we come to know more deeply our Heavenly Dad.

“I perceive that when you are approaching me to train you, you are doing so because you desire to be successful, not because you want to get to know your Father more deeply. If you want me to train you to get to know the Father I would be happy to—and if the journey through which He has called you is one of an apostle, I think I can be of some service. But realize that it would not be to avoid failure. Indeed my training may lead you into greater failure than you think. But it would also lead you into a deeper relationship with your Father and His son, Jesus. So if you desire for me to train you into a deeper relationship with the Lord (though the vehicle of church planting), I would be glad to. But if you only desire to be trained in church planting in order to be successful, then I will not do this.”

My dream ended with him walking away. I woke up with a profound sadness over him. I felt like Jesus must have when the rich, young ruler turned away. But I woke up feeling like the dream was spot on and that this was indeed what the Lord was calling me to—to train a new generation of apostles in getting to know Him.

(From Building Effective Apostolic Communities, by Dick Scoggins.)

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Multigenerational Family Communities, Part 2

Multigenerational Family Community

(In my last post, Multigenerational Family Communities, we discussed the major theme of multigenerational families in Scripture and its great importance to the Kingdom of God. I’ll build on that post here.)

Six years ago my wife and I packed up our bags and moved from England to Southern California, where we have never lived, to join both our children in their families and their four children to learn how to build the Kingdom through multi-generational family. The early part of the journey has proved to be difficult, with one of the blessings being that my daughter and her husband have moved in with us with their first child (our fourth grandchild). Continue reading “Multigenerational Family Communities, Part 2” →

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Multigenerational Family Communities

Multigenerational Family Community

Perhaps because of my broken family, God’s familial nature and plan spoke strongly to me as I began to follow Him in the 1970’s. I was captivated by the Genesis story where God pursues mankind through families, from Adam and Eve, through Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and my favorite, Joseph. I was impressed early by God’s declaration to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, NASB). Through the rest of the Old Testament and into the New, God pursues mankind through families. In Ephesians 3:15 Paul speaks of God as the Father of Mankind, and “through Him every family in heaven and earth derives its name” (food for more thought on the heavenly families!). Family is not some construct that man designed. Earthly family reflects the very image of God’s heavenly family! Continue reading “Multigenerational Family Communities” →

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Significant Times

When Jesus entered the world during the first century, the Mediterranean region was in the midst of significant historic events. The Roman empire, an expansive territory ranging from North Africa to Europe and Asia,  was under the “Pax Romana,” a time of relative peace among a wide variety of ethnic groups who were all under power of Rome.  Some notable aspects of life under the “Pax Romana”: Continue reading “Significant Times” →

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In a World of Strife, We Fight for Peace

In our world today, conflict seems to be everywhere. Whether between family members or between nations, people are fighting with each another.  On the micro-scale, people argue over spending, lifestyle, or beliefs. On the macro-scale, wars are waged between people as they fight for land, over religion, or resources.  Tensions seem to be rising, and polarization growing…what can we do in response to all the conflict? Continue reading “In a World of Strife, We Fight for Peace” →

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How to Develop a Flourishing Relationship

It goes without saying that each of us develop issues in our relationships. Sadly, however, consider how often we seek out others’ advice or answers and find no good results, or give up on relationships altogether when things get tough. Search no farther! God’s Word is practical, and he provides us many concrete ways to help us experience restoration and eventually flourishing!

Here are a few Biblically-based practices (taken from Dick Scoggin’s “Becoming One” series) that are solid foundations for building a healthy relationship.

  • Develop intimacy with the Lord. Our basis of good communication comes from an overflow of our relationship with Christ (1 John 1:3).
  • Listening to each other (Proverbs 18:13)
  • Openness and honesty (Ephesians 4:25)
  • An understanding attitude (1 Peter 3:7)
  • Getting beyond yourself to understand the other person (Philippians 2:1-4, Ephesians 4:1-3)
  • Practicing self-control (Ephesians 4:26-27)
  • Careful selection of words and tone of voice (Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 12:18)
  • Patience (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Healthy relationships also require vulnerability. The more you are willing to be honest and even reveal your weaknesses and insecurities, the more your relationship will get stronger. Though it is easier to retreat and allow your fears of criticism or judgment from the other to keep your from being vulnerable, your relationships will lack depth. With the guidance and healing from the Holy Spirit, you can learn to let go of the fear and self-protection, and learn to let your emotional guard down.

Healthy relationships require forgiveness. In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus reminds us of the of God’s unfathomable, amazing forgiveness, and in turn he asks us to do the same for others. As many of us have experienced, when trust is lost, it is nearly impossible for a friendship or relationship to grow and deepen. On the other hand, genuine repentance and choosing to offer a humble apology, as well as a response of accepting it, are essential to allowing a relationship to be restored after a fall-out.

If you feel that you are at an impasse in a relationship, fight hard to restore it. Trying these helpful practices may lead to breakthrough!

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The Great Cosmic War – Part 1

If you are like me, you’ve heard the creation story dozens of times. The story goes that God creates a beautiful planet, lots of animals, and the first couple, Adam and Eve.  Then the serpent (a.k.a. Satan) gets Adam and Eve to sin, they get in trouble with God, and God kicks them out of the garden.  Roll credits.

However, I recently heard the story brought to life in a whole new way.  I can now see much deeper into this ancient tale of humanity’s beginning and how much it has implications for us and our purposes on earth now.  So, for a moment, enter into the story like you’ve never heard it before.

Beauty and Power Bestowed

God creates an amazing, endless universe.  Within it he crafts a planet filled with beauty and thriving with life.  Pouring down power and glory, he fills it with an abundance of color, design, and intricacy.  He constructs an infinite numbers of creatures that swim, fly, and crawl amidst magnificent trees, plants, and breath-taking landscapes. This planet is a place of adventure and intrigue, but lacks anyone to cultivate and develop it.

Continue reading “The Great Cosmic War – Part 1” →

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Exploring your Calling, Part 2: Preparing Your Heart for Marriage

Reorienting Your Life Around Your Calling

When God calls you to something, there is no doubt that that this call will transform your life. This is no more true than in the area of being called to be married or single. If you are called to be married, your life will be irrevocably changed by the partner you choose. If you are called to be single, you will need to be part of a wider community, and that community will irrevocably change your life. We must each reorient our lives around our calling, not try to fit our calling into our life with as few changes as possible.  Any time God issues a call, a person’s life will have to radically adjust. There are plenty of biblical examples such as Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many others.

If you feel called to get married, here are some points to consider as you pursue that calling: Continue reading “Exploring your Calling, Part 2: Preparing Your Heart for Marriage” →